What nutrient is essential for healthy immune function?

Vitamin C plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy immune function due to its involvement in various physiological processes. It is a potent antioxidant, helping to protect immune cells from oxidative damage, which can impair their function. Additionally, Vitamin C enhances the production and function of white blood cells, which are essential for the immune response and play a key role in defending the body against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria.

The vitamin also stimulates the production of antibodies, which are proteins that help to neutralize foreign invaders. Furthermore, Vitamin C is involved in the synthesis of collagen, which is important for maintaining the integrity of skin and mucous membranes—the body's first line of defense against pathogens.

While carbohydrates, protein, and fiber are important nutrients for overall health and play supportive roles in the immune system, they do not have the specific immune-boosting properties that Vitamin C possesses. Carbohydrates provide energy, proteins are necessary for building and repairing tissues including immune cells, and fiber contributes to gut health, which is connected to immune function, but none of them directly address immune system efficacy in the same critical way that Vitamin C does.